From the Lions' den

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BOB MACKIN -- 24 Hours Vancouver

Sep 16, 2005

, Last Updated: 7:44 AM ET

Lions like history

B.C. Lions' domination of the Montreal Alouettes is on the line Saturday night. B.C. is 25-24-1, including 17-7-1 at home against the Als. The 10-0 Lions can set a team record with a tie or win for their best undefeated start. In 1964, they went 7-0-3 to begin a season that ended with a Grey Cup victory.

Dapper Don

Of all the teams in today's CFL, Lions boast the best winning percentage against Als' head coach Don Matthews - .452.

Matthews, who entered 2005 with a record 213 regular season wins has a 17-14 regular season record against B.C., the first CFL team he head coached.

Matthews was hired in 1983 and immediately led B.C. to the Grey Cup. Lions lost to the Toronto Argonauts, but rebounded two years later, winning 1985's championship over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The 26-year vet is the only coach to win the Grey Cup in four different decades. The only time he booked off November was 1991 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders didn't make the playoffs.

Bog smoke

The smoke enveloping the Lower Mainland from the Burns Bog fire could make its way inside the air-supported dome of B.C. Place Stadium. That doesn't concern Lions' head coach Wally Buono.

"I'm hoping by then we don't have an issue or we have a little bit of wind or rain," Buono said. "It's going to be like that for both teams. In the old days, they used to let people smoke."

Hurricane relief

Buy a ticket to help victims of hurricane Katrina. A toonie from each ticket sold through kickoff tomorrow goes to Red Cross relief efforts on the Gulf Coast. Lions' quarterback Dave Dickenson is pledging $500 for each touchdown pass. RONA employees will collect donations from the weekly Beatty Street BBQ.